A Trek to the Heart
by kirbyfan1996
Summary: A new evil threatens Ripple Star, and Kirby's journey will involve more than just a fight against evil...a prequel to my main fanfic, The Legend of Zelda: Shadow Realm. Rating may or may not change later on.


Notice

Disclaimer: Any and all rights related to Kirby belong to Nintendo, HAL Laboratory, and affiliates.

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Chapter One: Old Memories and a Reunion

It was a peaceful night, and Kirby was relaxing under the stars. It had been a long time since a dangerous threat decided to terrorize the denizens of Dream Land. It seemed as if all the evil forces on the sleepy planet finally decided that they could not hope to defeat Kirby. King Dedede had stopped trying to steal from others a long time beforehand. So too had the Squeaks, preferring to hunt for treasure rather than steal them from others. All the truly evil beings had been defeated, and they didn't seem to be coming back anytime soon. Peace reigned in the land, and Kirby got to enjoy a long rest from his days of adventure.

Kirby looked up again and saw a shooting star. And then another. And then another. And then another. It was a full-fledged meteor shower, one that hadn't graced the skies in ages. This brought back memories for Kirby, memories of the last time he had seen a meteor shower. Because it wasn't a meteor shower. Instead, it was pieces of a powerful crystal, scattering across space. He remembered how, when he stood up puzzled at what was going on, he was suddenly blindsided by something that had fallen from the skies. Before he could examine, something else bounced off of him, leading him to look away and take a small crystal. It seemed to possess a great power, though it seemed as if it was missing most of it.

He turned back to the first thing that had hit him and realized that it was a girl clutching a similar crystal. She seemed to be a fairy-like being about his size with pink hair and a pink dress. As she slowly got up, she glanced at the crystal in her hands and let out a small gasp. "No!" she exclaimed in a voice that Kirby found melancholy yet lovely at the same time. "The crystal is shattered…I've failed…"

Kirby could tell that tears are welling up in the stranger's eyes before they actually do. Not wanting to see the girl cry, he decided to call out to her. "Hey!" he announced. "Are you looking for something like this?" He held up the crystal piece that hit him earlier.

Upon seeing the crystal, the girl lightened up. She flew towards Kirby, and the two pressed their crystals together, creating a larger one. The girl smiled for a moment. "Thank you for your kindness, but…," she said with her face growing more desperate, "it seems that the crystal broke into far more pieces than I had imagined possible. I don't know if I could possibly rebuild it…but I have to! I need this crystal to save my home world from the evil that wants the crystal's power."

Kirby was impressed at the resolute tone in her voice despite the image her face portrayed. "A hunt for a bunch of crystals in order to save a planet? Alright! I'm in!"

The girl looked surprised for a moment, but she soon smiled again. "You'll really help me?" Kirby nodded. "Oh, thank you! Oh, my name's Ribbon, by the way."

Kirby smiled. "What a nice name! I'm Kirby! Let's get going!" With that, the two took off, travelling over different planets to stop the dark force that had invaded Ribbon's home planet, Ripple Star. Together, with a few friends in tow, they restored the crystal and defeated the dark force behind the attack, Zero Squared. In the end, Kirby had to leave her, but not before she gave him a kiss on the cheek, one that he still remembered despite the long time that had passed since that adventure.

Kirby got up out of his musings, placing his hand next to the cheek. He could still, even now, feel the emotions that it got to feel. It was worth it, even though he later lost his balance and fell down to the amusement of his friends. He enjoyed those memories more than the sweetest piece of strawberry shortcake in the world, and he had gone to great lengths that time the Squeaks had taken it. During times like these, he sometimes missed that girl. More often, though, Kirby looked forward to the future, hoping that one day they would meet again.

He just didn't know that it would be today. Kirby gazed up unconsciously in the direction of Ripple Star, anticipating the sight of the heart-shaped planet with a smile. He did see the familiar planet; however, there was a disturbing sight nearby it. It was very small where it was, and it was barely visible from the surface of Pop Star. Kirby, however, was trained to notice even the most infinitesimal change in the skies. From what he could tell, it was a small tear in the fabric of space. Perhaps it would just pass away, but he didn't want to leave it to chance.

As he took out a cell phone and prepared to summon his Warp Star, Kirby noticed something in the sky. It seemed to be a small ship that was jetting away from Ripple Star towards Pop Star. As it came closer, Kirby realized that the ship was on fire and coming in at a very high speed. A few seconds later, it dawned on him where it was about to land. Kirby jumped out of the way, and the ship crashed in the very spot where he had been standing.

As the dust shrouded the area, Kirby heard the sound of a hatch opening. His eyes lit up as he saw a small figure stumbled out of the ship, holding a hand on the head area. The figure collapsed, but Kirby rushed forward in time to catch the person. As the dust cleared, Kirby's eyes confirmed his gut feeling. In his small arms was the friend he had hoped to see again for so long. Ribbon was finally back by his side.


End file.
